The declaration of independence of the neurovascular intimacy

Nerves and vessels often run parallel to one another, a phenomenon that reflects their functional interdependency. Previous studies have suggested that neurovascular congruency in planar tissues such as skin is established through a “one patterns the other” model in which either the nervous or vascular system precedes developmentally, and then instructs the other system to form using its established architecture as a template. Here we find that in tissues with complex three-dimensional structures such as the mouse whisker system, neurovascular congruency does not follow the previous model, but rather is established via a novel mechanism in which nerves and vessels are patterned independently. Given the diversity of neurovascular structures in different tissues, guidance signals emanating from a central organizer in the specific target tissue may act as an important mechanism to establish neurovascular congruency patterns that facilitate unique target tissue function.